Chapter 118: Zhu Que Transmission Stone

Eunuch Lin departed, while Lin Sheng remained.

Hua Changxi looked at Lin Sheng: "Eunuch Lin is a cultivator; didn't you try to become one yourself?"

Lin Sheng showed regret: "I lack spiritual veins, and my godfather has no solution."

Hearing this, Hua Changxi immediately took out the Totem Golden Alms Bowl and shone it on Lin Sheng, but nothing appeared; there was no ancestral bloodline awakening.

Though Lin Sheng did not know what Hua Changxi was doing, he submitted obediently.

Hua Changxi fell silent for a moment: "Following me, being merely a martial artist is insufficient. Besides Qi cultivators who absorb spiritual energy, there are also Body Refiners who temper their bodies, though the process is arduous. Are you willing to try?"

Lin Sheng's eyes brightened: "Master, I am willing; I do not fear hardship."

Hua Changxi took out the Skin-Tempering chapter of the *Nine Revolutions Profound Art* and the Skin-Tempering Technique transcribed by No. 8 Qihuang Hall for him to choose: "The *Nine Revolutions Profound Art* is far more difficult and requires more cultivation resources, but the body-refining effect will be superior. Which do you choose?"

Without hesitation, Lin Sheng chose the Skin-Tempering chapter of the *Nine Revolutions Profound Art*.

Hua Changxi said: "You are mine; I will provide cultivation resources according to circumstances. Since I am investing resources in you, I expect returns; absolute loyalty is the bare minimum. You must not tell anyone about my affairs, not even your godfather. The amount of resources I provide depends on how much you accomplish for me. Do you understand?"

Lin Sheng replied: "Rest assured, Master; having acknowledged you as my master, I will never betray you. I will surely serve you well."

Subsequently, Hua Changxi gave him a portion of herbs for tempering the skin and told him to find Yu Gui: "Brother Yu will teach you how to brew the medicinal soup. From today on, begin your body refinement at No. 8 Qihuang Hall."

Lin Sheng accepted the herbs, bowed, and withdrew.

As soon as he left, Hua Changxi returned to her courtyard; tomorrow was her fifteenth birthday, and her family had sent Hua Liulang half a month ago to notify her to return home for the celebration.

Seeing it was still early, Hua Changxi practiced refining pills for half the day, only leaving the Medical Bureau at dusk to head toward the Hua residence.

The moment she exited the Medical Bureau, Hua Changxi sensed someone tailing her; to avoid alerting the enemy, she made no sound, instead feigning urgency to take a shortcut home, deliberately choosing alleys with few people.

Sensing the fluctuation of spiritual energy behind her, she confirmed the person tailing her was a cultivator.

This person was likely merely a lookout, not the mastermind.

Just as Hua Changxi debated whether to capture the trailing cultivator to force out the mastermind or allow them to follow in hopes of counter-tracking, she suddenly smelled a strange fragrance.

Spirit-Sealing Incense!

The instant she smelled the fragrance, Hua Changxi swiftly swallowed an antidote, then after a moment, feigned panic upon noticing something amiss, attempting to flee toward a crowded street.

At that moment, the cultivator tailing her leaped out and struck sharply at her neck.

Hua Changxi: "..."

Having tempered her body, even though the trailing cultivator used spiritual energy when striking, they could not injure her.

To uncover the mastermind, she could only pretend to faint.

Then, Hua Changxi was hoisted onto the cultivator's shoulder, weaving through narrow alleys, exiting Nanchengmen, and heading straight south.

Watching the direction the cultivator ran, Hua Changxi found it increasingly familiar; by the time she was brought to a half-collapsed dilapidated temple, she knew exactly where she had been taken.

It is actually here!

This is the dilapidated temple where she was once kidnapped and sacrificed by the red-robed demonic Daoist!

It was here that she obtained a cultivation technique and embarked on the path of cultivation.

How could it be here?

"Click~"

A grinding sound arose.

The cultivator rotated the statue in the center of the dilapidated temple, which was broken down to only a small base; the statue slowly shifted aside, revealing an underground entrance, then he carried Hua Changxi and jumped directly into the tunnel, moving rapidly through the underground passage.

Looking at the familiar underground city and feeling the familiar heat waves beneath the earth, Hua Changxi felt somewhat emotional; she had not expected to revisit this old place.

She had guessed who the mastermind was.

Gu Jinfan!

Yet she was unclear about Gu Jinfan's purpose in capturing her; was it to force her to reveal the techniques within the Zhu Que Transmission Stone?

Or did Gu Jinfan believe she had obtained the techniques and now wanted to kill her to vent anger?

Just as Hua Changxi pondered these questions, the cultivator brought her to the stone door where the temperature was highest.

"Click~"

The stone door opened, and scalding hot air rushed forth.

The cultivator threw Hua Changxi onto the stone platform behind the door; seeing the familiar sacrificial altar, Hua Changxi grew tired of pretending to be unconscious and sat up directly.

"Awake so soon? It seems your strength is greater than I imagined."

A deep male voice sounded; Hua Changxi looked toward the source, and upon seeing the person's appearance, her face immediately displayed shock: "How is it you?"

The Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture!

When she had been rescued previously and taken to the Jingzhao Prefecture, she had met the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture and been questioned by him.

Seeing the red robe he wore, Hua Changxi trembled again: "You and that red-robed demonic Daoist... are you accomplices?"

"Silence!"

Cao Jun rebuked: "My father is not a demonic Daoist."

Hua Changxi was even more shocked: "Your father? That demonic Daoist is your father? So, you knew about his capturing people for blood sacrifices? You even participated?"

"Of course; daring to conduct blood sacrifices within the capital region, how could one succeed without a powerful backer?"

Hua Changxi looked at the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture in disbelief: "To think you are a government official, yet privately engage in such heinous acts; do you not fear exposure?"

Cao Jun snorted coldly, too lazy to argue with Hua Changxi, and asked directly: "This official asks you: did you obtain a cultivation technique here, and only then become a cultivator?"

Hua Changxi recovered from her shock and stood up.

Previously, she had thought the mastermind was Gu Jinfan, but now it seemed she was mistaken.

However, even if it was not Gu Jinfan, the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture targeting her was undoubtedly related to her; her obtaining the cultivation techniques from the Zhu Que Transmission Stone was absolutely leaked to the Prefect by Gu Jinfan.

"Yes, I obtained the cultivation technique here; Gu Jinfan told you this, didn't she?"

Cao Jun frowned: "Gu Jinfan? The Seventh Miss of the Duke Prefecture?"

Hua Changxi observed his reaction: "Correct, it is her; what, you do not know her?"

Cao Jun had been pondering these past few days who had left the note; now he knew the answer—it was someone from the Duke Prefecture. However, he did not dwell on this issue. Looking at Hua Changxi, he said, "Hand over the cultivation technique."

Hua Changxi shrugged. "Sorry, I cannot do that."

Hearing this, Cao Jun's expression darkened. Without wasting words, he directly swept a wave of spiritual power toward Hua Changxi.

Seeing this, Hua Changxi gently waved her hand, blocking that wave of spiritual power.

Witnessing this, Cao Jun's expression changed drastically. He could not sense any fluctuation of spiritual energy on Hua Changxi, making it impossible to gauge her cultivation level. Yet, the moment she acted, he realized he had underestimated her. "You..."

The cultivator who had brought Hua Changxi here also sensed something was wrong. Turning around, he attempted to flee. Just as he was about to reach the stone gate, a fire lotus descended, enveloping him completely.

In an instant, the cultivator became a figure of fire.

A few seconds later, the man turned to ash.

Watching this scene, Cao Jun felt both shock and terror. Bracing himself, he stared at Hua Changxi. "What exactly is your cultivation level?"

Hua Changxi looked at him. "Guess why Gu Jinfan dared not confront me directly?"

At this moment, Cao Jun also realized he had been used as a pawn by Gu Jinfan. Looking at Hua Changxi, he weighed his chances of winning a fight against her. In the end, he dared not take the risk and could only bow his head to seek peace.

"Spare me. Whatever you want, just name it. If this official can satisfy it, I certainly will."

Hua Changxi looked at him indifferently. "You are an official; you ought to guard the peace of this region. Yet what have you done? Do you think you deserve to continue living?"

While thinking of a way to escape, Cao Jun replied to Hua Changxi, "This official admits fault regarding the blood sacrifice matter. But in the end, were you not the beneficiary? Strictly speaking, your ability to become a cultivator is largely thanks to my father."

Hua Changxi snorted with laughter. "You are truly twisting logic. I possess a spiritual vein. With the revival of spiritual energy, I would have become a cultivator sooner or later anyway."

Too lazy to speak further with him, Hua Changxi swept out a wave of spiritual power, attacking him.

Seeing this, Cao Jun's expression changed. He resisted with all his might, but even exerting his full strength, he was struck down by the spiritual power.

At this moment, he felt immense regret. When matters here were initially exposed, he should have sent people to kill all the survivors.

Cao Jun realized that as a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator, he was completely no match for Hua Changxi. Truly frightened, he pleaded, "Don't kill me! I am the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture; I can work for you."

Hua Changxi paid no heed to his words. She sent another wave of spiritual power, instantly causing him to breathe his last. After removing his storage bag, she flung his body off the sacrificial altar, letting him plummet into the magma.

Carefully using flames to burn away the seal on the storage bag, Hua Changxi opened it.

Inside were mostly common cultivation resources: spiritual stones, spiritual talismans, pills, dharma treasures, and formation disks were all present. However, what concerned her most were items like books.

Before she could browse the books, her attention was captured by a folded memorial.

The reason it caught her eye was that she had seen such memorials before at Eunuch Zhou's place; reportedly, they were used exclusively by the imperial clan to issue orders.

Hua Changxi opened the memorial. Upon reading its contents, her expression immediately darkened.

"Secretly arrest all descendants of the Hu clan in Shili Village, regardless of gender, and imprison them in the Nether Prison."

The content of this memorial was obviously suspicious at a glance—secret arrests targeting every member of an entire clan.

Furthermore, she had never heard of the Nether Prison mentioned within.

Recalling that the Red-Robed Demonic Daoist was the father of the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture, Hua Changxi's face grew grim. Could it be that those imprisoned in this Nether Prison were all intended for blood sacrifice?

Blood sacrifice could be used to cultivate evil techniques for rapid advancement in cultivation, to obtain ancestral bloodlines, or to awaken ancestral divine abilities...

For certain people, these were all shortcuts.

Hua Changxi exhaled a breath, losing interest in examining the other items in the storage bag. The Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture was no minor official; how much power and influence must one possess to command such a person?

Standing at the edge of the sacrificial altar, Hua Changxi gazed down at the churning magma, her heart far from calm. This was merely a tiny corner she had stumbled upon by chance; in places unknown to her, how many similar matters existed?

Suddenly, a flash of red light appeared within the magma.

Hua Changxi's attention was drawn. Focusing her gaze, she saw a dot-like red light rising and falling amidst the surging magma.

It was a red stone!

Oh, no—it was the Zhu Que Transmission Stone!

Hua Changxi's expression shifted with surprise. She had originally thrown the Zhu Que Transmission Stone into the magma, assuming it would be carried away to some other place by the flow.

She had not expected the transmission stone to remain near the sacrificial altar, untouched by the currents.

Hua Changxi wanted to retrieve the transmission stone. Lacking the appropriate dharma treasure, she thought for a moment, then condensed spiritual energy in her right hand. The spiritual energy formed a giant hand, which gradually enlarged and reached directly toward the Zhu Que Transmission Stone in the magma.

As the giant hand grasped the transmission stone, Hua Changxi sensed strong resistance from the stone; it refused to be taken.

Seeing this, Hua Changxi's expression shifted slightly. She immediately began circulating the Zhu Que Breathing and Absorption Method. Fire spiritual energy in the magma immediately surged toward her, and simultaneously, the transmission stone gradually loosened its resistance.

Seeing that this approach truly worked, she patiently continued circulating the technique. After a quarter of an hour, she successfully retrieved the Zhu Que Transmission Stone.

Once the Zhu Que Transmission Stone left the magma, it did not fall into Hua Changxi's hand. Instead, it flew directly to the center of the sacrificial altar.

At the same time, brilliant red light erupted from the center of the altar. A circular pillar of light, about one meter in diameter, slowly rose, and the Zhu Que Transmission Stone landed upon a golden pillar within this column of light.

Hua Changxi stepped forward quickly, extending her hand toward the transmission stone. Soon, the stone glowed with red light, and within it, a radiant, colorful fire bird materialized.

The fire bird spread its wings and soared high, circling once inside the stone before suddenly bursting out and swirling around Hua Changxi.

Hua Changxi watched this scene in wonder. But as she watched, she felt a tremendous pressure descending upon her, instinctively condensing spiritual energy to resist.

As the fire bird circled, it gradually grew larger, and the pressure Hua Changxi felt intensified accordingly.

Gradually, flames ignited around Hua Changxi's body. The fire grew fiercer, forming a stance of opposition against the fire bird circling overhead.

Initially, Hua Changxi felt some panic, yet she did not sense any lethal danger. After resisting for a while, she realized this seemed to be a trial. Thus, she once again began circulating the Zhu Que Breathing and Absorption Method, closed her eyes, and devoted herself entirely to the resistance.

At this moment, the entire sacrificial altar blazed with intense red light. Fire spiritual energy from the magma converged, gathering densely around Hua Changxi, making her appear as though she stood amidst a vast ocean of fire.

Hua Changxi lost all sense of time passing. She knew not how long it lasted until she felt the pressure upon her gradually diminishing. When the pressure vanished completely, she opened her eyes.

The moment she opened her eyes, a miniature fire bird rushed toward her and merged into her brow.

Immediately after, she heard the sound of a bird's cry.

This sound did not enter her ears from the outside world; it resonated directly within her mind.

Hua Changxi felt somewhat bewildered, unsure of what had happened. Could it be that the technique she had previously received was incomplete, and now it was being supplemented?

Thinking thus, she once again reached her hand toward the transmission stone.

This time, the transmission stone showed no reaction whatsoever.

"Just now, it must have been supplementing my cultivation technique, right?"

Hua Changxi was somewhat uncertain, but she knew this was no bad thing.

Looking at the Scripture Transmission Stone, she wanted to store it away.

Yet the Scripture Transmission Stone could neither be placed into a storage artifact nor into the Shennong Cauldron, and it could not be taken beyond the sacrificial platform; the moment it left the platform, the stone would automatically fly back to its center.

Seeing this, Hua Changxi felt a headache coming on; she could not take the Scripture Transmission Stone with her, and she could not determine whether anyone else knew of this place.

Out of selfishness, she did not wish for others to obtain the cultivation methods within the Scripture Transmission Stone, especially someone like the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture.

After pondering for a while, Hua Changxi picked up the Scripture Transmission Stone again, threw it into the magma, and then surveyed the sacrificial platform once more.

This was no sacrificial platform; it was truly a Scripture Transmission Platform.

The red-robed demonic Daoist and the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture had no idea of the correct method to open this place; opening it with a blood sacrifice was entirely wrong.

A perfectly good Scripture Transmission Platform had been made to resemble something from the demonic and heterodox paths, simply defiling this place.